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1st World Congress on Logic, Chance, and Money

Speaker: Hugolin Bergier, Computer Science and Information Systems, Regis University

Pure chance is the occurrence of an event stripped of any essence or determination. Pure chance is pure existence: it happens without preconception of what ‘it’ entails. In this presentation, I explore the intersection of formal logic and pure chance, building on the work of Jean Ladrière, particularly his insights from L’Espérance de la Raison.

Ladrière’s philosophy reveals that formal logic, while typically viewed as a deterministic framework, can manifest and render intelligible entities that exist independently of any formal system and, therefore, of any determination. This inquiry raises a profound question: can formal logic make pure chance—an event that defies determination— intelligible?

Drawing on Ladrière’s discussion of the thematization of objects within formal systems, I argue that pure chance, much like pure existence, requires determination to be perceived, even though it retains its ontological independence from any system that represents it. Formal logic enables its manifestation by situating pure chance within a sequence of events, yet the event itself remains fundamentally gratuitous and indeterminate.

This philosophical exploration culminates in the concept of the horizon, which Ladrière defines as the ultimate point of orientation for human reasoning and action. In this framework, chance becomes intelligible as part of a movement toward the horizon, carrying profound existential significance. By juxtaposing this with the horizon of money— where accumulation is theoretically limitless but finite in nature—I illustrate the broader implications of chance and logic in both philosophical and economic contexts.

Ultimately, this presentation seeks to show how formal logic structures intelligibility while pointing beyond itself, toward an infinite and indeterminate horizon from which chance draws its meaning.